I love collecting Hot Wheels original designs like the #Mod Rod. No hype. No inflated prices. No collectors hoarding every single one off the pegs or raiding pallets. Besides the obvious, collecting #Unlicensed Hot Wheels has often exposed me to car genres I probably would have never dabbled in. For the Mod Rod, I find myself looking more and more into custom-built hot rods. The hot rods of today seem nothing like the “show rods” of 20 to 30 years ago where people were restoring and rodding out cars from the 1930s. As evidenced by the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, people are building hot rods from the ground up, using anything from technology to spare parts.

When Hot Wheels released the #Mod Rod in 2019, I instantly geeked out over the design. There is so much to like about this Hot Wheels original design by designer, Dmitriy (Dima) Shakhmatov. The panoramic front window, billet grille, cone-shaped exhaust, and three spikes coming out of the top of the engine are all cool design elements that give the casting a mean look. Oh, and that stance… wicked!

I’ve really enjoyed collecting the Hot Wheels #Mod Rod over the last four years as the collection has amassed 10 pieces now. The first release in “moody blue” is still my favorite. I also see that name “moody blue” — which I used to describe this very unique color in my October 2019 article — was adopted by the Hot Wheels Wiki/Fandom. The “moody blue race team” selects one Hot Wheels original design every year, and it was the Mod Rod that started the trend. The Hot Wheels Mod Rod is so vogue!

Seriously!?!?! How do you top an epic first release? Well, there are ways… *cough* super treasure hunt, *cough* premium *cough* build a 1:1, but the #Mod Rod was simply re-upped for the 2020 mainline as part of the HW Dream Garage segment. The matte black variant seemed very on-point for this casting, but the metalflake dark red variant that preceded it just didn’t hit in the same way subjecting the casting to its first pegwarmer status.

The #Mod Rod would ultimately return to the mainline in 2021, but first came a very surprising release: an #Employee Exclusive! The metalflake gold release below was given as a “Happy Birthday” present to Hot Wheels factory employees in the Penang, Malaysia plant during the #2021 Hot Wheels year. The car wears #iD5 wheels that were exclusive to the #Hot Wheels iD line yet there is no clear base or NFC chip in the bottom of this one, meaning it is not actually an iD vehicle. This car actually has a very cool deco, and the fact that it is very limited, ranks it among my favorites in this collection.

QUICK LINK! Find the Hot Wheels Employee “Happy Birthday” Mod Rod on eBay.

HW Flames has been a cornerstone in the Hot Wheels mainline. Flames have been associated with the Hot Wheels brand since 1968. Whenever I come across a Hot Wheels car with flames, I often look to see if there was any strategy as to how the flames were laid out across the body. For the HW Flames #Mod Rod releases in 2021, the graphic designer did something really cool: he (most likely Jerry, Mike, or Leeway) made it look like the flames were shooting out those cone-shaped exhaust pipes that protrude the exterior. With this release, I also learned that I really love the way the #Steelie 8-Spoke Wheels look on this casting.

Before 2021 was over, we saw another very limited release of the #Mod Rod come-about. Released exclusively in Australia — as part of a promo for Australian telecommunications company, Optus — this Mod Rod was given mostly to youngsters who participated in the “Super Zoomy Loopy Hot Wheels Race” in the concourse of various shopping centers in New South Wales. The layout was a pretend living room with various Hot Wheels track sets in it. By participating, kids (and adults) received this promotional car along with a carton of other promotional goodies. The whole setup was part of Optus’ “YES” campaign, and the yellow ribbon-like deco features the “Ye” on one side, and the “s” on the other.

QUICK LINK! Find the Optus Mod Rod on eBay.

Only a couple months after the #Mod Rod appeared in the Optus promo (December 2021), the casting appeared in another. In March 2022, the black Broken Promises release would be sold by the clothing company on their web site. The release came on a unique Broken Promises blister card before ultimately being released in the 2022 “K” case assortment under the Rod Squad mini collection. In late 2022, the second colorway of the Rod Squad Mod Rod was released, however, this one featured a new deco with the #56 on the doors and in mint green paint. Very rarely do Hot Wheels vehicles change deco — outside of colors — in the mainline, but this is one of those exceptions.

The #Mod Rod returns for 2023 as a regular #Treasure Hunt in the #2023 Hot Wheels “E” case assortments. Not only is one of my favorite castings being highlighted as a Treasure Hunt, but it will also join my massive #Hot Wheels Race Team collection. The HW 55 Race Team deco — for Hot Wheels’ 55th birthday — features matte blue paint with reddish orange windows. Once again, the graphic designer appears to have the Hot Wheels flame logo coming out of those cone-shaped exhaust pipes. The circle #Flame Logo (TH) appears on the sides of the vehicle on the rear pillars.

QUICK LINK! Find the Hot Wheels Mod Rod Treasure Hunt on eBay.

Being that this newest release is a #Treasure Hunt, and #Hot Wheels Race Team car, and the 10th variant in my #Mod Rod collection, I thought it was the perfect time to showcase this #Collection Update. Please let me know what your favorite release is (and why) in the comments below!